Westfield came into this season with the highest of expectations. Returning champs who were looking to reclaim their throne, the Blue Devils sought no goal short of a state championship. For an entire year they dominated their competition, besting all but one team that came across their path. Despite an unfortunate loss in the Public A state championship, Westfield triumphed throughout the season, meeting and exceeding expectations in various ways.
Once again the Blue Devils went undefeated in the regular season. This was their second consecutive season accomplishing such a feat, their only loss of the year coming in the state championship against Cherry Hill East, the team they previously beat in the 2022 state championship. Before their loss, the girls went 720 days without yielding to an opponent, their last loss taking place in 2021. Out of the 11 events in swimming, seven had records broken during the course of the season. The Blue Devils finished 15-1 and once again topped their conference, their third time leading the conference in the last four years.
“This was an amazing year for the team, achieving a record of 15 wins and one loss,” said head coach Steve Whittington. “They have swam the very best teams in the state, stepped up and were able to have some big swims when we needed them.”
Westfield entered the season ranked No. 1 in New Jersey and protected its ranking all the way up to the final day of the season, but Cherry Hill East toppled it in a close meet, claiming the top spot. Westfield finished the season with the No. 2 ranking in the state.
Senior co-captain Abigail Bebel said, “There was definitely a lot of pressure going into this season, more than last year because this time around we knew that being state champions was possible and we all definitely wanted to have a repeat year.”
This pressure did not seem to rattle Westfield over the course of the season as it once again gathered both a Union County title and a North 2, Public A sectional title. The Blue Devils outswam top ranked opponents throughout the season such as Ridge and Montclair, inching closer to another state championship appearance.
Not only did Westfield ascend to victory on many accounts as a unit this season, but individuals also showcased their abilities. Duke commit Clare Logan and Vanderbilt commit Emily Constable showed consistency throughout the season and also claimed individual victories at the Meet of Champions, taking down some of the fastest swimmers in the state.
Logan placed first in the 50 free (23.37) and first in the 100 back (53.14), breaking a WHS and a Meet of Champions record. Constable placed first in the 100 breast (1:02.05), also breaking a WHS record. Both Logan and Constable competed in top-placing relays at the meet as well, which once again broke school records. Their performances at the Meet of Champions are just some examples of their dominance throughout the season.
“It feels really exciting and rewarding to win MOCs, especially since the competition was extremely fast and close in time,” said Constable.
Westfield is graduating nine seniors, among them Lafayette commit Bebel and Loyola-Maryland commit and co-captain Lauren Lane. Despite these losses, the Blue Devils have elite underclassmen who are ready to pick up where they left off this year.
“Next year’s seniors will have new obstacles than the ones this year,” said Whittington. “They will need to create their own identity and path as they will compete in a new batch of rising teams.”
“I think we have a great shot at winning a state championship as we have a lot of great swimmers returning to the team and some freshmen who will be able to contribute,” said Logan.
Despite the loss of a large portion of the team, Westfield’s values remain prevalent through and through.
“We are definitely an extremely close team. Most of us have been swimming together since we were really young,” said Bebel. “We really support each other and inspire each other to swim fast each chance we get.”
Such a close-knit team would be hard for any opponent to take down, but one that is stacked with the roster Westfield had seems like an impossible feat—well, almost impossible. Westfield ends with an impressive resume to say the least as it practically steamrolled over any team attempting to take it down over the course of the season.
